George G. Meade, (born Dec. 31, 1815, Cádiz, Spain—died Nov. 6, 1872, Philadelphia) American army officer who played a critical role in the American Civil War by defeating the Confederate Army at Gettysburg, Pa. (July 1863). As commander of the 3rd Military District in the south, Meade was noted for his firm justice, which helped to make the Reconstruction period following the war less painful.

George G. Meade.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

The son of a U.S. naval agent in Spain, Meade graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1835. He was commissioned in the artillery but resigned after a year’s service to work for a time as a surveyor. He reentered the army in 1842 and in August 1861 was commissioned brigadier general of volunteers in command of the 2nd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves. After the disastrous Union defeat at Fredericksburg, Va., he was assigned the V Corps, which participated in the Chancellorsville, Va., campaign (April–May 1863).

On June 28, 1863, President Lincoln appointed Meade to replace General Joseph Hooker in command of the Army of the Potomac. Meade repulsed General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg (July 1–3) with great tactical skill; however, he has been criticized by some for allowing Lee’s army to escape after this decisive victory. Although Meade retained command of the Army of the Potomac until the end of the war, his independence of action was sharply curtailed after March 1864, when General Ulysses S. Grant was placed in command of all Union forces. Meade was respected by his associates though he engaged in frequent quarrels. He was promoted to major general in the regular army (August 1864), and after the war he commanded several military departments.

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...a second invasion of the North. He entered Pennsylvania, and a chance encounter of small units developed into a climactic battle at Gettysburg (July 1–3), where the new Union commander, Gen. George G. Meade, commanded defensive positions. Lee’s forces were repulsed at the Battle of Gettysburg and fell back into Virginia. At nearly the same time, a turning point was reached in the West....

...Hooker requested that the nearly 10,000-man Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry be added to his field army. When Halleck refused, Hooker resigned his command and was succeeded June 28 by the steady George Gordon Meade, the commander of V Corps. Meade was granted a greater degree of freedom of movement than Hooker had enjoyed, and he carefully felt his way northward, looking for the...

...a second invasion of the North. He entered Pennsylvania, and a chance encounter of small units developed into a climactic battle at Gettysburg (July 1–3), where the new Union commander, Gen. George G. Meade, commanded defensive positions. Lee’s forces were repulsed at the Battle of Gettysburg and fell back into Virginia. At nearly the same time, a turning point was reached in the West....

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(1815-72). In June 1863 the Union faced its darkest days in the Civil War. The Confederate army, led by General Robert E. Lee, had not lost a battle in two years and was now striking northward into Pennsylvania. The Northern people were panic-stricken. New leadership was needed. On June 28 U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Gen. George G. Meade commander of the Army of the Potomac, replacing Gen. Joseph Hooker.